Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



UNITEE STATES PATENT OEEICE.

HENRY REYNOLDS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,600, dated May 8, 1866.

To all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that l, HENRY REYNOLDS, of the city and county ot' New Haven, and State ot' Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partvof this specication.

The present invention relates to improve ments that are applicable to any of the wellknow n classes of lire-arms, whether pistols, ritles, carbines, &c., in which metallic-case cartridge-shots are used, and that are adapted to the reception of only one charge at a time, requiring the removal of the metallic case after a discharge before another cartridge can be inserted; and it consists in forming at the breech end of the barrel and along its upper side for a portion ot' its lengt-h a slot or opening communicating with the bore of the barrel, and of a littlegreater width than the dia-meter of the said bore, forming ashoulder upon each side thereof, which slot or opening is of sufficient length that when the cartridge-case shot is laid therein and pushed into the barrel, comin g to a bearing by its fulminate or tlan ged end against a shoulder of the rear end of the breech, the open end of the cartridge-case in which the shot is secured will slightly project beyond the front end ot' the said slot and extend into the closed portion ot' the barrel. In the front end of this slot is so hung a cover or closing-piece therefor that it can be freely swung up or down, which cover is made of such a shape that it will nicely and closely t within and about the said breech-slot and the upper side ot' the cartridge therein inserted when swung down and into the slot, and also cover the rear or closed end ot' the cartridgecase, but with an aperture through such rear covering-piece in the proper place to allow the hammer of the lire-arm to penetrate to the fulminate edge or rim of the cartridge tor igniting the same when so desired, this cover to the breech opening` or slot in the barrel ot' the nre-arm being held closed or shut when thel hammer is down or at halt'cock,7 so termed, by the hammer itself, which at such times is over and engaged with a lug upon the rear end of the cover, the hammer, when at full-cock, so term ed, being entirely removed from the said lug of the breech cover-piece, leaving the cover free to be swung up and out of the barrel, when the cartridge-case or shot therein can then be readily removed by simply turning over the lire-arm and bringing its breech slot or opening upon the under side, when the case or shot, having nothing then to retain it, will, as is obvious, fall out ot' the barrel-bore.

In accompanying plate of dra-wings my improvements are illustrated, Figure l being a plan or top view of a pistol having them applied to its end; Fig. 2, a central vertical seetion through the barrel portion of the pistol shown in Fig. 'l, taken in the direction of its length.

Similar letters parts.

A in the drawings represents the barrel ot' the pistol; B, the stock or handle containing the operating parts of the. pistol, the arrangement and operation of which is the same as are now in common use, therefore requiring no particular description herein, C being the hammer, susceptible of being set at halt' and full cock, as in ordinary pistols.

The rear or breech portion or end ot' the barrel A, and upon its upper side, is out out, forming a slot, E, a little greater in width than the diameter ot' the barrel-bore F, leaving shoulders a a upon each side in the same horizontal plane, or nearly so, as the central axis of the bore F, which slot extends from the rear end of the barrel toward its front or muzzle end, and is a little less in length than the length of the metallic case of the cartridgeshot, adapted to the bore of the pistol, so that when the cartridge has been laid in the barrel through the said slot E and pushed forward therein till its fulminate or flanged end comes to a bearing against the annular shoulder b at the rear end of the barrel, its front or open end, in which the shot or bullet is secured, will extend a little beyond the front end of the slot and into the closed portion Gr of the barrel, for a purpose to be hereinafter stated.

In the barrel-slot E, and nicely and closely fitted between its two sides C C, is hung a cover or closing piece, H, upon a transverse pivot, L, so that it can be swung up and down7 ot' reference indicate like which cover H is of such a form that when swung down and into the slot E it will cntirely lill the same and cover and incase the upper portion ot' the cartridge-case therein inserted, and also, by a projecting piece, I, upon its rear end, cover the closed or fulminate end of the cartridge, a slot, d, being made in rear piece, I, at the proper point, and of suitable shape to allow the hammer of the pistol to penetrate or pass through it to strike the fulminatc rim or edge ot' the cartridgecase when the pistol is to be discharged.

On thc lower portion ofthe rear end of the cover-piece H is a lug or hook-shaped projection, f, extending toward the hammer, over which lug the hammer fits when down or against the barrel-brecch, thus iirmly holding the breech-cover in place, the hammer, when at half-cock, still engaging with the said lug, which is made of the proper shape therefor, whereby the pistol or whatever other class ot' lire-arms my improvement may be applied to, when set at halt-cock, is rendered susceptible ot' being carried with no danger of the cartridge falling out, as the breech-cover closed over it can then by no possibility swing open, the hammer-cover, when at full-cock, being then sufciently removed from the swinging plane of the cover-lug as to oi'er no obstruction to its movement, thus leaving the cover free to be swung up or down, as the case may be, ac'- cordingly openin g or closing the breech of the barrel.

From the above description it is obvious that when the breech is opened by swinging up its cover or closing piece a cartridge can be readily inserted in the barrel or a waste cartridge-case discharged therefrom by simply turning the pistol over so as to bring its open side down, the case then freely falling out ot' the barrel, but that when the breech-cover is shut the cartridge is retained in place and can by no possibility fall from the barrel, the breech-slot, by being made a little shorter than the cartridge-case, completely preventing the escape of any ofthe explosive gases as the pistol is discharged at the joints of the cover with the breech-slot, the importance of which is apparent, while at the same time the slot is not lo be made so short in length compared with the cartridge-case that thc case cannot freely fall out when the pistol is turned over, as before stated.

To insure the withdrawal of the waste cartridge-case after a discharge of the pistol having its breech constructed according to the present invention, it may be desirable to form a recess corresponding in shape to the fulminate orclosed end of the metallic cartridge-shot, and directly back ofthe same, in the front end of the rear portion ot' the brceclrcover, and of such a depth that when the pistol has been discharged the open end ot' the cartridge-case, by the recoil of the explosive force exerted by such discharge, can be thrown back and beyond the front end ot' the breech-slot sufficiently to clear it, or, at least, so that it will be lifted up as the breech-coveris swung open, and thereby' withdrawn from the barrel.

l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentrlhe arrangement of the cover H, projecting piece I, lugf, hammer C, in combination with the barrel A, with its slot E, and operating in the manner and for the purpose herein specitied.

HENRY REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

SAML. GRIswoLD, JOHN M. MARLIN. 

